TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- Alabama will square off against Oklahoma for the fifth time in program history when the teams clash in the Jan. 2 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.

The anticipated matchup between the No. 3 Crimson Tide and No. 11 Sooners was made official during tonight's BCS selection show.

The game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. central and will air on ESPN.

"We are excited and proud to be named to play in this year's Sugar Bowl
against the University of Oklahoma," Alabama athletics director Bill Battle said in a university release. "These are two great universities with
great academic and football traditions. The history of our previous
games against each other has been very competitive and exciting. Our
fans love New Orleans, and this is especially meaningful to me, as I
have degrees from both institutions (bachelor's degree from Alabama,
master's degree from Oklahoma).

Alabama and Oklahoma last faced each other in 2003 at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Jason White, who went on to win the Heisman trophy, threw for 259 yards and two touchdowns to lead the top-ranked Sooners to a 20-13 victory. One year earlier, Alabama lost at Oklahoma, 37-27.

Alabama likely will be a double-digit favorite, but Oklahoma holds the edge in momentum. The Sooners upset then-No. 6 Oklahoma State on Saturday, 33-24, to put themselves in the BCS picture.

Both of Oklahoma's losses came in lopsided fashion, as it fell by 16 to Texas and 29 to Baylor. The Sooners opened the season ranked No. 16 in the Associated Press top 25.

In its most recent game against SEC competition, Oklahoma fell, 41-13, to Texas A&M in the 2013 Cotton Bowl.

This marks Alabama's 61st bowl appearance, 14th in the Sugar Bowl and sixth in a BCS game. The Crimson Tide's last trip to New Orleans came in 2012, when it shut out LSU, 21-0, in the BCS National Championship.

The Crimson Tide is 8-5 overall in Sugar Bowls, but lost to Utah, 31-17, in its last appearance (2009).

The Sooners have appeared in eight BCS bowl games, but have lost five of their past six. Alabama coach Nick Saban, then at LSU, collected his first BCS National Championship in 2004 with a 21-14 victory over the Sooners in New Orleans.